Teaching Notes

Bible Study

Read the scripture and see if you can answer the questions for yourself. The words in quotes is the title I gave to each of these scriptures for a lesson for the youth. I hope that the questions help you in your walk.

1. “God knows your thoughts, what are you thinking?” Proverb 4:23
QUESTION: What are you being kept from in this passage?


2. “Words, does your help or hurt?” Matthew 12:37
QUESTION: this is Jesus, who is criticizing Him and why?



3. “Prayers answered, Hannah’s story.” I Samuel 1:17
QUESTION: What did she ask for and how soon did it happen?

What 3 things did she bring to the Lord’s house?


4. “Christ is risen” Mark 16:6-7
QUESTION: Who was speaking?

How many times did He revisit people?

Who did He visit and what was the response?


5. “What seeds are you sowing for Christ?” Matthew 13
QUESTION: What are the seeds?


6. “Serving others while serving Christ?” Galatians 6:10
QUESTION: What is the benefit of serving?



7. “Who do you belong to? I Corinthians 6:20
QUESTION: What two things are you glorifying God in?



8. “Be thankful in ALL things” I Thess 5:18
QUESTION: Who is this concerning?

Does this include the good things?



9. “God’s true gift.” John 3:16, John 1:12 & Galatians 1:4
QUESTION: What three special things are given in these passages?



10. Who is the Holy Spirit: John 16:13 (Known also as the Holy Ghost, Divine Spirit of God, Voice of God, Comforter)


11. What does He do? (When we receive Him)

a. Acts 15:8, 9

b. Romans 5:1-5

c. Acts 1:8



12. What does He do? (After we receive Him)

a. John 16:13,14-26, I Corinthians 2:7-14

b. I Corinthians 12:8-11


13. Who does the Spirit dwell in?

a. I Corinthian 3:16,17
b. Acts 5:32

Teaching Notes

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:16-18


He is Risen, What Next? We can reflect Jesus. Easter or Resurrection Sunday has come and gone, but does that mean we should lose the focus we gained during this time? I believe the answer to that is no. In fact, we should begin to ask the next question, what is next for us to do? This isn’t just a question for the unsaved that have now accepted Christ, but also for the one that already believes. We should continually ask, what next Lord?

In this scripture, the New Covenant is being spoken about. Paul speaks about Moses and how he wore the veil over his face because the people could not look upon the glory of God on his face. The comparison is we do not have to place a veil on our faces, we can allow the Spirit of God to reflect through us and have the freedom of reflecting Jesus.

The glory that shown upon Moses faces faded, but this does not have to be what transpires with the believer today. We can reflect the Spirit, which is the Lord’s Spirit, and continually be transformed into his likeness with an ever-increasing glory. In other words, as we release more of ourselves into the hand of God, the more we will reflect his Son (Sanctification).

We can be changed to show the world the beauty of the Lord. We are not able to do this without the risen Christ. So what’s next? The next thing for us to day is to release ourselves into the hand of God so that He can receive glory from our lives as we walk before him and before men.

I pray for us today that we reflect on what the Lord has spoken to our hearts during this past Holy Week and then move into action on what he has shown us. Has he shown you he desires more worship? Then worship. Has he shown you he wants more commitment? Then commit, yield. Has he shown you that there are some things in your life that need to be nailed to the cross, put to death so that the new purpose in your life can be resurrected? Then nail those things to the cross and move forward in His purpose. Today, is our call to action, what will you do, what is next for you?



For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. – Matthew 6:14-15


He is Risen, What Next? We can forgive the unforgivable. Sometimes it seems impossible to forgive the mean and hurtful things people say and do to you. This is especially true when those hurting you say they belong to Christ. It is hard to reconcile the things people assume and then speak as if it is truth. I must be honest; this was an area that was very difficult for me. I could not understand the saints saying the mean things they did to me.


I could not understand the hurtful words that come from their mouths, instead of the words that should encourage. I could not understand how do we claim to be Christians and do such mean things. Sometimes the hurt and struggle does not come from outside the church, sometimes the struggle comes right in the midst of the place that should be a place of worship.

Well what does that mean? It means that regardless of what others do, we must be like Christ. It means that when some one lies on us, we must continue to be like Christ. It means that when others would say mean hurtful words, we must continue to be like Christ.

This is not something we can do in our own ability. I could not forgive those that hurt me, lied on me and misused me in my own ability. It took the risen Christ living in me to enable me to do so. It takes the Holy Spirit helping me to be able to forgive the unforgivable. To be able to forgive means you do it, even when the other party may never say a thing, or acknowledge their need for forgiveness.

I pray for us this week that we seek God to help us forgive those that have hurt us, talked about us, lied on us and mistreated us. Help us to show love even though others may not be showing it in return. Jesus showed loved to an angry mob as he hung on the cross. He could have rightly called angels from heaven to stop what was happening, but he knew that it was all to fulfill God’s plan. We must look at the mistreatment of others and ask the same question, what is best for me? Is it best that I move from this area, or is it best that I allow you to bring me through? You’ll find out that God many times wants us to go through because he is using these times to bring about something in us. So let us turn to God when people mistreat us, or do us wrong. If we are not willing to forgive what others have done to us, we then cannot expect God to forgive our sins. For our sins against God are far greater than anything anyone else could do against us.

Teaching Notes

your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. – Psalm 139:16-18



Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:8


What are your thoughts? Righteous Thinking. What if your thinking is what we call “stinking thinking” (wrong thinking or thinking that see only defeat)? How do you change your thinking to the right way of thinking? You begin that process by focusing on the Lord. The psalmist remarks about the things of God. He says you saw me when I was unformed and at that time you ordained a purpose for me.

The psalmist then rejoices at the wonder of the thoughts of God. He writes your thoughts are precious to me. When God’s thoughts are precious to us, then we begin the process of seeking to change ours to be more like his. We ask God to change our thoughts from the old way we thought, to begin to think his thoughts and to understand his ways. We understand that God’s thoughts are vast and we cannot completely understand them all.

Yet, the psalmists is reminded that even if I were to try and count your thoughts I cannot, but I still know this important thought, I am still with you. This is what I call righteous thinking. When we turn from looking at our problems and begin to look at the one that solves all problems we begin to have righteous thinking.

We can begin at this point (and only at this point) to think of things that are right, pure, lovely and admirable. This is possible because the focus has turned to the God of the universe and we are reminded of his vastness. We are reminded of the works of the master’s hands. Righteous thinking means that we have the focus on the right things. The beauty and the sweet smell of being in the presence of God dispel the stench of the thoughts that the devil tries to bring to us. Thinking righteous thoughts begins us to thinking ourselves as victors where as stinking thinking makes us see ourselves as victims. Righteous thinking helps us to see ourselves as mighty warriors where as stinking thinking makes us see ourselves as captive slaves.

I pray for us today that we seek righteous thinking. God help us this day to begin to meditate on your attributes. As we begin to think on these things, that are both lovely and pure and righteous, we will begin the process of turning our thoughts from defeated to delivered. Help us to think your thoughts today. Challenge yourself this week, how can you change your thoughts each day?

Teaching Notes

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied…As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. – 1 Samuel 17:45, 48-50


Unusual Assignments. Our smallest things in the hand of God can win the battle. We have probably read ourselves or have heard about David and Goliath many times. David was a young boy that was not afraid of the giant situation standing before him. The army would go to the battle, but when the giant would come and challenge them, they would run. And that is how we are at times, we go to church and get in our positions but as soon as a big situation comes, we run and hide because we don’t think we can overcome it.


David knew that God was bigger than this giant and he was ready to take this unusual assignment. It was unusual because he would send a boy to do a warriors job? Who would, God would. God will send us into situations that sometimes others looking at us would say we are not ready to handle. But God knows differently because he knows he is going to use our smallest of weapons to define the enemy. He can use them, because we “quickly” go to where the situation is instead of running from it. That is what David did. He ran quickly to the battle line with only a sling and a few rocks. Unusual weapon. But then we serve an unusual God that can do unusual things.


If we give even our smallest of gifts and talents to God, he will use them and when he does he may even use them to advance the battle for others. The army would not have gone forward, until someone stepped up and took care of Goliath. God used David to rally others to battle.

So I pray for us today, so that we will not think we do not have enough for God to use. He is only seeking us to be willing. When we are, he will do the rest. So I pray that we would quickly run to our post in the Lord’s army. And when we do, God will take our all and use it to win the battles.